ACCEPT YOUR HUMANITY. ACCEPT OTHERS’ HUMANITY.
By Renee Taintor
As we continue to examine the useful tools we are gathering to manage the energies in our lives, it is a good idea to look at a very important and obvious factor that is evident in everyone’s lives.
WE LIVE IN A SEA OF HUMANITY.
Unless you live on a mountain top somewhere, it is unavoidable that you will face encounters with others on a daily basis . . . in your home, at work, and at social events. You can have all of the talents in the world. But unless you can navigate the waters of our ever-changing Sea of Humanity, and your ever-changing self, you may find yourself from time to time in dilemmas that you wish to remove yourself from. These dilemmas can generate feelings of discomfort, unease, anxiety, and stress ~ to name a few.
What creates these feelings of discomfort and stress when
engaging with another human being or engaging with yourself?
You’ll discover that triggers usually arise in every day life when dealing with humanity: yours and theirs. We are all human beings and thus we share common human characteristics and ways of thinking and being. To explore this further, let’s look at some of the triggering characteristics that you might experience or be able to relate to within yourself. These may include judging and criticizing yourself, forgetfulness, making mistakes, having errors in judgment, feeling tired, feeling overwhelmed, not wanting to face things, not wanting to fulfill your responsibilities, wanting quick answers, wishing you hadn’t done certain things, wishing you HAD done other things, wanting to start over, wanting to go away, wanting to be silly when others don’t, not wanting to go to work, desiring some respite from parenting responsibilities from time to time, etc.
Now let’s review a list of triggering characteristics of other human beings. Being irritating or too loud, not taking care of their children, not being respectful of your boundaries and your space, cutting in front of you in line or on the road, being egotistical, being unconscious and unwilling to take responsibility for their actions, deeds, words, and projections, and silly things like people talking with their mouth full of food, spreading and perpetuating gossip, being selfish and self-absorbed, and more. And in families, these triggers may include others’ not picking up after themselves, doing things you have asked them not to do, not helping in the house and sharing in the to-dos of daily life, being moody, being unavailable and unresponsive, not appreciating you, etc. You can see that both of these lists are long and could seem never-ending.
What’s the point of this awareness?
I invite you to become acutely aware that we tend to feel and experience these things because WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS. It’s part of the package of being a human. No one is exempt. It’s clear that everyone goes through similar things. The exact content and experiences might be different, but ultimately it’s the same humanity . . . and there is only one human race.
A deep sense of self-acceptance or “other”-acceptance is generally lacking when we feel these things . . . or we wouldn’t be generating these responses. Why do we generate these responses? Because there is resistance to what is going on in your life in those moments; the picture doesn’t look like you want it to and people aren’t doing what they should be doing. You are routinely dealing with things that you may not want to engage, or handle, or face. It’s hard to control others’ behavior and actions. (An inevitable impossibility, really!) And it’s even harder to control yourself! Aren’t you doing the best you can . . . trying to juggle all the things in your life? Well, when we see with broader and more conscious vision, so are they.
These are the moments when you need to generate your own self-acceptance, which essentially means the Truth about Who You Are . . . and not the judgments that come to or fill your ego mind. It’s a profound journey of recognizing when you’re not managing your energy because it is managing you. If you are stuck with negative emotions and feelings, look around you. And look within you. This is an indication that you are not in control of your life. You are living the same loop of reactive thoughts that keep you stuck in the same loops with the same emotions.
Seeking self-acceptance, the Truth about Who You Are, becomes very important . . . if you are going to disengage from the emotions and feelings of the reactive mind. How? By consciously partnering with your heart and being still long enough to hear the guidance rising up inside you. Do a few deep breaths as you connect with your heart and ask for the way out of the emotions that you generated. Focus on that connection and you will soon have thoughts that will guide and soothe you. Trust your heart which is your constant and ever-present companion.
Self-acceptance is only part of what you need in these moments. The second part includes that you truly need to cultivate the acceptance of the rest of humanity. Look at your human family from a bigger perspective, the bigger picture. Picture us as being on a big global playground, with everyone acting out their parts and doing the best they can, even if it doesn’t look or feel like it. How can you stay in the big picture when you’re tempted into a smaller picture, and into to being triggered?
YOU ARE INVITED TO LET GO OF HOW YOU THINK
EVERYTHING SHOULD LOOK.
YOU ARE INVITED TO LET GO OF HOW YOU THINK
EVERYTHING SHOULD FEEL.
And surrender. What happens when you truly let go and surrender? All of a sudden there’s nothing for the ego mind to react to. You have disengaged from the reactive mind. Being disengaged means you aren’t giving life to the old thoughts patterns that you just were. You have surrendered to being in your heart space in that new Now moment. You become free from the emotional loop and can now look around and engage in what’s in front of you. You can actually be present in your presence.
Are you eating lunch somewhere outdoors? Feel the breeze on your face. Listen to the chatter of your human family living their lives. Look at the beautiful flowers on the table. Taste the food and appreciate that you are alive. These are the promptings of the heart that encourage you to embrace the moment. Look around and really SEE where you are and experience that. Realize and SEE that your human family is being who they are, just like you.
I invite you to be the person that connects to your human family, wherever you go. Be the solution, and not the problem. When you find yourself in the dynamics that lead you to your reactive mind, stop and see it as the crossroads of choice. You can view it as a crossroads that will determine your experience in this moment. It’s this intersection or crossroads that call for switching directions of your conscious awareness. You can move from mulling over the list of things that make you feel bad about yourself (and others) and you can move into the heart space that has the essential thoughts that can nurture and comfort you, and that can love and accept you and others as well.
Find better ways of responding to yourself and to others when in uncomfortable scenarios. One such shift might be to offer assistance, or to help them laugh with themselves about their own behavior, or relating a similar story that helps them to feel better about themselves. Your heart will know what to do and say. It is very wise.
When you tap into the Oneness that we share, you will find reasons to appreciate the differences between us all. You will find yourself wanting to explore the differences ~ to increasingly let go of fearing or judging them. There is Unity in Diversity. Remember this.
Accept your Humanity and Accept the Other’s Humanity. Be happy with the person you are. Have compassion and understanding for others because they are “doing their humanity” just like you. Remember there isn’t a human being that can’t relate to being human. We aren’t perfect, but we are perfectly human. Embrace the aspects of the Bigger Picture and Bigger Human Family that we are all a part of. It’s Who We Are. It’s Who You Are. Be the True and Compassionate Human Being you are, and that you came to be in these times.
